The Artisans
by loves-the-geeks
Summary: Kate Harper just wants to bury her past; There's just one problem: her past just wont die. literally. My first story! Pairings: Tosh/Owen Jack/Ianto. Also, introducing my OC, Kate Harper **No relation to Owen**. Rated T for language. Please R&R!
1. In the Beginning

**Disclaimer: If Jack Harkness or Torchwood belonged to me, Seasons 2 and 3 would have ended much differently. 3**

**A/N: This is my first time posting here, I hope you like my work! Also, I should just mention a couple of thing about this story before I begin. The story is told in the first person, from the perspective of my OC, Kate. The first bit is pretty mundane. This fic started out as a background story for this character, so bear with me through the first 250 words or so; after that point, it just became the actual story that will eventually lead to another story I plan on writing. My characters "organization", for the purposes of this, is called the Artisans, and they deal with things that are supposed to be fictional (vampires, werewolves, etc.). This will be explained in detail in my next story, along with the other original members' personalities and backgrounds and things. To wrap it up, think of this as a prequel to a future story. Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to review if you want! ****J**** Here we go!**_

Kate is Jack Harkness' first daughter. Because she was his first, he accidentally passed the "immortal gene" on to her. Kate was born in 1801 to Jack and her mother, Roselyn. Kate's mother was always slightly emotionally unstable; Jack cared deeply for both Roselyn and Kate despite this unfortunate trait.

Kate was seventeen and engaged to marry a boy named Daniel Summers, a boy whom she was very much in love with. Kate was often seen with him, and if kept away or told she could not see him, she would often be seen sneaking off to see the boy.

In Kate's small American village, in the year 1818, a small but ultimately destructive war breaks out. Kate is distraught when she must see both Jack and Daniel go to fight with the other men. Before they leave, Jack gives her a pendant and a small book about adventures abroad (the kind she loves the most), and Daniel gives her what would have been his wedding band on a chain. Days later, a list of the dead and missing is read to the town' both Jack and Daniel are mentioned among the dead. Kate is horrified, and her mother, upon hearing the news becomes catatonic. Two days later, Kate's worst fears are realized when she comes home to find that her mother has hung herself.

Unable to cope with the reality of the tragedy, Kate runs away to another town, and another, eventually making her way to Great Britain, starting in Scotland, and then to England, where she meets and eventually becomes a member of the Artisans (A/N: to be explained in a separate story; remember this is just back-story.).

Before she meets the Artisans (Kate is 25 by this point, 8 years have passed), Kate notices some changes, one being that for the number of times she has nicked herself, fallen, or been hit, she is never injured. Kate eventually moves, and rents an apartment in London.

At 30, Kate notices something else; she hasn't aged at all. And it's not that she just isn't showing it, she literally has not aged. Frightened, Kate begins to do tests upon her body, one which involves cutting herself, first just lightly, then deeper cuts. The final test is to throw herself in front of a train. As she prepares for this final test, unbeknownst to her, a man watches with great interest. James Cardin, the eventual founder of the Artisans, is watching, waiting. Kate takes a deep breath and jumps- James gasps, and runs to her body when it is all done with. Somehow, she is in one piece, but she is bloody, broken, bruised, and not breathing. James sits with her awhile before he hears a deep, shuttering gasp. Kate seems to be as surprised as him. After the initial drama, Kate and James talk, he tells her of the mythical creatures who terrorize humans. They go on to create a task force, of sorts, called the Artisans, and they find suitable team members.

35 years later, (1867) James dies of a common disease. Kate's body is still 25 years old. James leaves the Artisans to her. When she hears that strange activity has been reported in Cardiff (i.e. the Rift), she moves her remaining team and their base to Wales. It is here that she meets and briefly travels with, the Doctor.

**A/N: So what did you think? After this point, the story should improve, as it became an actual story, versus just background information for my personal reference. Reviews are love!**


	2. Kate & The Doctor

**Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood, seasons 2 and 3 would have ended much, much differently. **

**A/N: So from here on out, it can only get better, hopefully! In this chapter, Kate meets the Doctor and learns some more about Jack. Also, there is mention of an "adventure" with the Doctor. I will be writing a separate story to explain this later. Sorry for the confusion! As always, reviews are love!**

In 1870, Kate hears a strange whooshing noise. As is the nature of her training, she goes to investigate. Because of her special "ability", Kate is the only female who investigates alone, at this point. When she waits outside of the Artisan Headquarters. She sees a large blue box, marked "POLICE". She approaches the door, but before she can touch it, a man bursts out! The man is not even middle aged, in hid 30's, maybe, she decides, to Kate, though, the strange man has ancient eyes. Kate also determines that the man likes to run; a lot. As in all. The. Time. The two go on a (currently undetermined) adventure, where in Kate is convinced that these "aliens" are HER creatures, though she is ultimately proven wrong. The Doctor brings Kate back to her time, and she tells the Doctor that she WILL see him again. He says "I don't doubt it, Catherine." As she turns to leave, the Doctor stops her. "I know your father, Kate. He's just like you, you know. Fixed point in time. Wrong."

"You knew Jack?" She refers to him by his given name now to separate herself from him. They had been close in her childhood years. The Doctor looks confused.

"Still do, no past tense with me, remember?" Kate tells him that her father died in the war. The doctor raises an eyebrow. He moves back into the TARDIS, and comes back out with a thinner, smaller version of the wrist strap Jack wears. The Doctor tells Kate to use it if she ever wants to find Jack. Kate doesn't understand.

"But he's dead. I can't just go and save him. Isn't that a "fixed point in time", or whatever?" The Doctor laughs. "So is Jack. Never stopped him before." Kate is still confused. The Doctor explains, well, sort of, as is his nature. "Did you ever wonder, Catherine, where that special talent of yours came from?" The door closes, and the strange man is gone in an instant.


	3. Kate & The Wrist Strap Thing

**Disclaimer: Torchwood, and all associated characters and plot lines do not belong to me. Trust me, if they did, there would be way more Jack/Ianto sexy times! :)**

**A/N: Thanks for reading this far, if you have! In this chapter, Kate uses the wrist strap the Doctor gave her for the first time. As always, reviews are love, and all reviews (even flames!) will get free virtual cookies :)**

It takes a whole year of the aggressive capturing/ brutal and often messy killings of various monsters before Kate actually uses the "Wrist Strap Thing", as she has dubbed it. She tells her second in command that she's taking the week off.

At home, Kate looks closely at the thing. She still cannot figure out the Doctor's cryptic message. The thing seems easy enough to operate, just enter a time and date, and add a location, and you're there. Kate's more interested in the setting that has something to do with blood... or... DNA?

_Fuck it._ She presses the key; then- _WHAT THE HELL?_- She's being pulled back and forth, side to side. She can't breath. _Well fuck. This is really how I die? How lame._ Suddenly, she's back on her feet. Kate looks around. _Still in Cardiff._ Suddenly, she sees him. She knows it's Jack because he used to wear that greatcoat EVERYWHERE. He looks just like he did when he went off to fight. Jack is running after another man, who is holding something the size of her head, and it's metal. _Alien Tech?_ This is a term the Doctor taught her. She's watching Jack with more interest than the other man. _He looks exactly the same... What the HELL? _It's now that Kate remembers the Doctor's words. "You're just like your father, Catherine... A fixed point in time. Wrong." _FUCK! He's the reason I'm still here?_ She wants to charge right up to him, but decides against it; for now, at least.

**That wraps up Chapter 3! Feel free to leave a review! Also, I was never 100% sure of exactly how Jack's Vortex Manipulator worked, so I just kind of made that up. The "DNA key" that Kate presses basically takes her to where Jack is currently. I got this idea from what Jack told Gwen in Miracle Day about the wrist-strap and DNA. **


End file.
